[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/topping/)

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# topping

noun (a topping, toppings); adjective (topping — old UK slang); verb form (-ing of top)

«topping» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A topping is food put on top of another food: pizza toppings, an ice-cream topping, a crumble topping. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/topping/#m1)
2. (old-fashioned UK slang) Topping means excellent, splendid: "What a topping idea!" (now mostly used jokingly, like in old school stories). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/topping/#m2)
3. (verb form) Topping is the -ing form of "top", as in "topping up" (filling up again) or "topping the charts" (being number one). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/topping/#m3)
4. (old UK slang) "Topping" someone meant killing them; it is old crime-story language. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/topping/#m4)

### In the lessons

In everyday life and food lessons, children choose toppings for pizza, pancakes and desserts. In maths, toppings are used in counting and combination problems ("How many pizzas with 2 of 5 toppings?"). In old children's books, posh schoolchildren say "topping!". Phrases: "pizza topping", "top up" (topping up a phone or a drink), "topping the league".

### Examples

- My favourite pizza topping is pineapple. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/topping/#x1)
- We had pancakes with chocolate topping. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/topping/#x2)
- The crumble topping was golden and crunchy. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/topping/#x3)
- "What a topping day!" said the boy in the old story. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/topping/#x4)
- Mum is topping up my phone credit. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/topping/#x5)
- Our team is topping the league this year. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/topping/#x6)
- If a pizza can have 3 toppings from 6 choices, there are 20 different pizzas. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/topping/#x7)
- “How topping!” said John and Michael. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/topping/#x8)

### Note

Countable: a topping, toppings. The "excellent" sense is old-fashioned UK slang, like "spiffing". In maths problems, toppings are classic for counting combinations: order does not matter when choosing toppings.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «topping» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/topping/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«topping» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/topping.html) on Mova free.